Click the above image to see how the studio is coming along with all the furniture in! Next step is painting which won’t happen until the last week of September after my travels!
Category Archives: Blog
Studio Updates
My studio is finally ready to begin move-in process and the decorating process. I’ve set a date for a studio launch and plan on advertising to some of the art studios in Beverly. The launch won’t happen until sometime in November so it would give me some time to plan and things like that. Doing some research on launch parties and designed an invite. It’ll be a great way to say to the Beverly art community, “hello world, I have arrived!” Haha. Excited.
I have pretty much gotten an internship at We Party Boston in Malden. I haven’t gotten the first project yet, but it looks pretty promising. I really hope this takes off too.
Arterie Fine Arts – “Science & ART” Exhibition
My artwork was accepted into a “Science and Art” exhibition from September 5th – October 1st in Naperville, IL! Reception is Friday, September 6th 6:00pm – 9:00pm.
Darkroom Supplies
Friday evening I am going up to Dover, NH to pick up a darkroom listing. All of this for $75!! I couldn’t believe my luck when I found this and that it was still available – I’m hoping the enlarger works.. if it doesn’t all of that minus the enlarger is still a good deal. It’s a trip, but if it’ll save me a boat load of money then it’ll be worth it. So stoaked for this.
Today, I went and picked up my studio key! FINALLY we can move in and set things up. Excited about that. My dad and I are planning on making the trip to Beverly on Thursday to move some of the stuff in after I drop off my prints for the “A Celebrations of Materials” exhibition in Boston, MA. Then we will make a trip back to Dick Blicks for the reception.
Getting into Exhibitions
I’ve had some really fun success getting my work accepted into exhibitions. I realized that there were a few things that I assess and consider before submitting my work. It makes all the difference in the world if you consider these points as guidelines before submitting your work.
- LOCATION
Where is the exhibit? Is it located in a booming metropolitan city? or in the boondocks of Connecticut? Location also counts too as a higher chance of potential art buyers/collectors.
- ENTRY FEE?
Sometimes as another way to make money exhibitions require an entry fee. Really consider the exhibition and what its’ worth is. Is it really worth it to submit 3 images at an entry fee of $40 to an exhibition located in the boondocks of Connecticut? Probably not. $15 dollars for 1 image for an entry fee for an exhibition in the boondocks of Connecticut is reasonable. $20+ for an image to have your artwork displayed digitally (minimal effort on the curator and gallery) to have your artwork displayed in a metropolitan city isn’t worth it. But say, a no entry fee is the best way to go – obviously.
- THE VISION OF THE EXHIBITION
The title is a GREAT hint on what the curators’ vision of the exhibition is. If, for example, you find a call for submissions for an exhibit of My Little Pony fanart, you don’t want to submit a beautiful detailed drawing of your mother’s sister’s cat. Your work has to be relevant and connected to the curator’s vision. My work, thankfully, is earth centered, so that means it has a wide variety of opportunities. It also has a spiritual side to it as well.
- PRESENTATION
Like anything in the art field, presentation is key. The way you present your artwork is crucial too. So generally speaking what I include in the body of the email; is my name, year of artwork made, materials/medium, concept, size, etc. Provide all the information they need at first hand. It makes an impression and says you really care about what you do.
I hope these pointers were helpful for you for getting your artwork into an exhibition. Sometimes a little luck helps as well. You won’t know if your work is successful unless you try.
“A Celebration of Materials” Exhibition – August 8th to August 28th
What: “A Celebration of Materials” exhibition at the Dick Blicks art supply store
When: August 8th to August 28th. Reception August 8th, from 7pm – 9pm
Where: Dick Blicks at 401 Park Dr., Boston, MA
Rainbow Stores
I hung out with one of my co-workers today at dinner break and she was looking for a new shirt because she had spilled something on the one she was wearing. We ran across this store called Rainbow! They have galaxy printed shirts which I had been looking for for awhile now and some really cool prints. I know I shouldn’t really be spending a lot of money and saving it towards my studio… but I could go and at least check it out! 😀
Thoughts as of late
Exhibition Trek Recap
For more Photos see this post!
For my exhibition trip up to Montreal, I chose to use Airbnb since we didn’t need much space. I definitely recommend Christophe and Nath on Airbnb. The price was right, the location was convenient and little did we know that the neighborhood that we stayed in was an artist neighborhood which added to the ambiance of our trip. The studio apartment was very well kept and in good condition.
Below are some highlights and lowlights of each exhibition and some photos!
Highlights – Montreal
– Finding out before we left that my artwork was featured on the poster for the event!
– Finding out that Le Plateau Mont Royal neighborhood is an artist neighorhood, the neighborhood we stayed in!
– Dinner at M!STO Restaurant on Thursday – I had mixed green salad, Medaglioni with rosé sauce, molten chocolate cake – very good!
– The Gala at the Montreal Center D’art for my exhibition
– The table I ate dinner at was very nice and then later; the table next to mine got a bit drunk and adopted me. One of the men at the table was hitting on me and kept saying how attractive I was and also was commenting on my dress and how much he liked the print – he was drunk and so it didn’t matter.
– Having people think that I worked at the Montreal Center because I dressed so well!
Lowlights – Montreal
– SO DAMN HOT ; too hot to do much of anything
– the windows and door to our accommodations weren’t that great.
– I walked to the Gala via the metro through a thunderstorm. Socks got wet so blisters started to develop later on during the trip 🙁
Overall the Montreal Gala diner was what I expected and better than I expected at the same time. The only critique I had was that to encourage the guests to talk to each other more some how (without the alcohol) and to have the black and white photography separate from each other. Some people confused mine withe someone elses because it was below the eye level.
Highlights – Pomfret
– Having people seek me out and ask me questions about my artwork, being genuinely interested in the process, etc
– One of the attendees at the Pomfret exhibit asked me for my autograph and picture. The piece of paper that I signed was a print out of my profile page from the Global Art League website which sponsored the Montreal exhibit – which meant I was googled!
– really good guacamole, cocktails, and deserts!
Lowlights – Pomfret
– Nothing too terrible happened, we just sat at the border from Montreal for a .5 hr so we lost a lot of time.
– by 7 rolled around I was so exhausted and achey I had to keep sitting down. I don’t wear heals all that often, so when I would stand up my legs would just ACHE.
In the end, I think I enjoyed the social atmosphere better at the Pomfret exhibit, but I enjoyed the experience of having a reception and artwork at the Montreal Center. I just wish it wasn’t so hot, but its’ either a heat wave, or tons of snow in Montreal!
Montreal Flier
This is a nice surprise! I just found the flier for the Montreal reception and my artwork is featured on it!
Housewarming Gift Basket
Last week I went around to a few different stores and put together a Housewarming Gift Basket for my brother for his birthday present. He’s at the point in his life where he can buy anything he wants to – and does – so when it comes to birthdays or other holidays, its’ difficult to find him a present. So I combined his birthday celebration and his purchase of his condo into a housewarming gift basket. The thought process behind all of this is that if he doesn’t use it right away but thinks of it later, he will have it already. I bought him the following items:
Fabric Folding Cubes (x2)
Outdoor Extension Cable
Plastic Bag Caddy
Sutter Home Merlot Wine
WD40
Paint Roller
Picture Hanging parts
Screws
Pack of Playing Cards
Grow your own Chives
Gardening Tools
Plastic Planter Pot (for the basket)
You can buy anything to suit your needs as the giver. My dad got into it as well and bought some of the items on the list. If you’re in a pinch and can’t think of anything, try combining a life event with a birthday. That always seems to do the trick. And last but not least, it was very well received! My brother loved it! 🙂
Shopping Rounds
Since my family has bought their retirement/beach home a few years ago, my mom and I have officially built a shopping routine. There are a few stores that I just -have- to stop by before I leave because the merchandise is almost always different and then there are the few that I go for my spiritual supplies.
First up is the Earth House. This is a hippie, vintage metaphysical store. Its a great pitstop to buy basic supplies for your ritual needs. For example, my mom and I made a pitstop yesterday because my co-worker was looking for Frankincense and Myrah incense. They have tarot cards, candles, scents, gemstones and crystals, and many other cool things! Can be a bit pricey though depending on what you’re looking for. Some of their other gifty things can be a bit pricey, but not so much of the ritual tools.
Next up is Buddha Beads. I 
absolutely love this store because their prices are pretty decent! I just picked up a really old address book that I’m going to repurpose into a ritual book or sketch book. It’s a 11×17 and has a marble cover and what I liked about it was that the information can be organized alphabetically by using the letters for the addresses. This place is part metaphysical too. If you need selenite it will be there, or a a hindu statue, or chakra jewelry, incense, buddha heads, rough amethyst slabs, singing bowls, you name it. I like the feel of this store better than Earth House though.
The next store that I always find good things at is a thrift store called Local Colour Boutique. My mom and I went in here to look for an orange clutch for my reception gala in Montreal next week but unfortunately 
came out empty handed. The clothing that is picked out is chic enough and I love how the owner displays the clothing by color (well d’oh!) It’s really eye catching. Haven’t found anything yet at this store, we always seem to go in there looking for something specific and end up not finding, I haven’t actually looking around here! Might try that next time.
Finally, the last thrift store I love is St. Joan of Arc. It run by the catholics of St. Joan of Arc church. The prices here are fantastic and the selection is great. The last time I was here I bought cute purple purse as seen in the picture to below. I have found a few good vintage dresses there too, unfortunately not in my size. There were also a few shoes that I liked.
Well there you have it! There are a few other shops we stop at but they aren’t as likeable in my opinion. They tend to be a bit of a hit or miss in terms of pricing and selection – they are Shop For A Song and Hope Chest in Orleans. I had found an awesome painted moon, sun and planet plate at Hope Chest but it was too expensive. Although I did find a sweater there the first or second time I went that I wear a lot. The weekend after Mother’s Day my mom found a candle shade that matched her hydrangea wine glasses that I gave her for Mother’s Day.